Bombarded with spam

For the past week I've been bombarded with hundreds of spam comments! I've changed some settings so we'll see if this works. If not I may have to move to a different blog site :/

New Recipe

I used yesterday as one of my days off from exercising and went shopping after work. I walked for about 4 hours shopping so I guess that counts as something. I went to Costco and stocked up on healthy foods. I'm so proud of myself that I didn't buy any junk or eat any samples.

A woman at work gave me a recipe for Mediterranean Layer Dip. I made it last night and it was delicious! I didn't go by the measurements of the recipe, as it was quite complicated so I just did it on my own. Here is the jist of it, if you're interested.

Spread a container of store-bought hummus in a medium-sized shallow serving dish ( I used roasted red pepper hummus), top with feta cheese crumbles (enough to cover) add a layer of chopped fresh spinach (enough to cover). In a seperate bowl add the following: chopped fresh ripe tomatoes (seeded), chopped cucumber (seeded), chopped green and katamala olives, chopped roasted red pepper, juice from half a lemon, salt and pepper, a few crushed red pepper flakes. Mix and add to top of spinach. Top with chopped green onion. Serve with toasted warm pita chips.

I don't have the nutritional info since I just threw it together, I just guestimated. I mainly went by the nutritional info on the hummus container. If you like mediterranean dishes, this is FABULOUS! I have to watch I don't eat too much since the hummus is fattening.

That's about it for me, the weather is very cold here now so I guess I'm exercising inside this evening. Have a great, long weekend (off Monday for MLK day)! YAY!

Morning Exercise

My DD has been going to the gym at 6 am before she goes to work. Two days a week she goes to yoga class at 11 am and she even goes to the gym before yoga! She likes to have her evenings free for homework and whatever. She has inspired me to try the morning workout. So...this morning I got up at 5 am and did a 30 minute exercise dvd (Slim in 6) while my pot of coffee was brewing. It was a little rough getting going but I made it through and then I rewarded myself with a cup of coffee.

I must say that it did make me feel more energized to start my day and I know that I will like having my evening free tonight. That was a non-scale victory for me.

Will I workout every morning? Not sure, but I'm going to give it a try for a couple of days and see how it goes.

Anyone else work out in the morning?

Time for a change.

Time for a change for sure!

TIme to eat healthy.

Time to exercise.

Time to drink more water.

Time to think positive.

Time to be inspired by others.

Time to motivate myself.

Time to get things rolling in the right direction.

This mornings weight = 219.0. Down exactly 2 pounds and into a new decade. Now to keep things going...

Thoughts on Protein?

Well, I'm back on my way. The house is restocked with healthy foods and my WW info is out where I can use it - and I'm tracking again.

DD and I walked 2½ miles yesterday. I was out of breath walking up the hills but nothing that I couldn't handle or had to stop for. It felt good to get moving again and to work my heart and lungs. It's amazing how fast you can get back out of shape, isn't it? We also did a 10 minute ab video. It's not long but it is a killer. I felt like stopping close to the end but I pushed through and did the whole thing. Yay me!

It was so warm yesterday - like 60° and sunny. Unreal for January in Virginia. I sure did enjoy the sunshine and fresh air. Now this morning we have snow flurries. Weird.

Thursday is payday so I'm starting back at the gym. I need to get some new workout clothes and a new pair of shoes. I will feel so much better to have something cute to work out in, plus it will make me want to work out more, too.



Anyone have thoughts on protein and weight loss? I keep hearing about how good it is for you, so I'm upping my protein through my foods and now also through my drink to see if I can tell a difference. Yesterday DD and I bought this protein shake powder. You can mix it with water or milk. I mixed mine with 1% milk this morning. it's actually pretty good, it tastes like chocolate milk mix, like Nesquick or something. It has 25 grams of protein per scoop. I was so full between a glass of that and a cup of steel cut oatmeal with bluberries (my new favorite breakfast).

Today I weighed in at 221.8. Down exactly one pound. It's a start in the right direction.

Retraining Myself

This getting back on track stuff is hard after so long. I know exactly what I need to do but my old ways keep calling me back. I must stay focused and keep strong. It is especially hard after work when I'm so hungry, I just want to grab something quick instead of waiting until I cook a healthy meal. Back to the planning out the meals and carrying healthy snacks to tide me over. I'm going to look up some low fat crockpot meals online.

Karen said for me to remember how good I felt when I was losing the weight before to keep me motivated. She is right. I loved the feeling that I had before when I would be so excited to wake up in the morning just so I could get on the scale to see if I'd lost any more weight (this is when the weight was coming off nicely). I don't know how to describe it, it was almost like a high or something. I want that feeling back again.

I'm going to WW tomorrow morning to face the music/scale and to learn the new PointsPlus 2012 program. What a pain in the ass that they keep changing it but I know that it works so I will give it a go again.

TGIF everyone!

What happened?

What happened that I gained 40 of the 60 pounds back that I had lost? I simply stopped trying. Here's the story...

Last year I started out pretty strong but I quickly started losing momentum and it went down hill from there. I got tired of counting calories, reading labels, exercising, telling myself that I couldn't eat this or that. So I started out just eating a little more and exercising a little less and before long I was out of control - again. I must say that I honestly did enjoy the break. Eating whatever I wanted and doing whatever I wanted was glorious for a while. I kept telling myself that I would get back on track on "Monday". Always Glorious Monday, but Glorious Monday never came. Oh, I had good intentions. I would get back on track for a day or two but quickly fall back off the wagon. I read Dr. Phil and Tom Green books on weight loss and emotional eating. I watched weight loss shows and read weight loss/fitness magazines to try to get inspired again. I even shelled out a chunk of money for five months of prepaid Weight Watchers coupons telling myself that this would keep me accountable if I had to report to the meetings and I wouldn't want to waste the money that I had already shelled out. Still, I found it hard to stay motivated and I didn't have the patience the learn the new program so it wasn't long before I blew that off, as well. I simply wasn't ready. But ready for what? To get slim and healthy? To feel better and have more energy? Why not??? WHY IN THE HELL NOT???

My clothes started getting tighter and I became more uncomfortable and I could only glance at my body in the mirror for a second, never a "full-on" look. I never would step on the scale, even though I knew I should to face the reality of what I was doing/had done to myself yet again. Then I used the excuse that I'd start after the holidays. After I had wasted 3/4 of the year why get back on track before the holidays? I always had an excuse at the ready.

Now the holidays are over. I faced the music and climbed on the scale and discovered that I had gained a little over 40 pounds back. I was not surprised at all. I knew where I was headed all along but somehow I didn't care. I had let food control me again. I could feel my fat rolls returning. I could feel my shoes getting tighter and see my disgusting swollen ankles. I felt sluggish and my joints felt stiff. I'm out of breath when I walk up the steps again. I had to buy larger clothes because the smaller ones (the same ones that I was so excited when they were getting baggy) were now too small. I had gotten rid of my "fat clothes" before because I swore that I would never be that size again and here I was with nothing to wear because I had become that size again.

I think back to where I was and how far I had come. I had started out at 242 and had successfully dieted down to 179. I felt incredible. I felt slim and strong and healthy, younger, more attractive, I had more energy. I remember how I was so excited because I was finally able to see my collarbone again. Well, it is gone. I think about where I could be now if only I had stuck to it. I was only 14 pounds away from my goal weight and I stopped. Why? I know that I was sick of dieting but why did I actually put the weight back on and not maintain? Was I self-sabotaging? Did I feel more secure hiding behind the fat? Did I feel that I would never be able to maintain the weight loss so I might as well just get fat again? Do I enjoy eating too much and let food control me again? Yes. Yes to all of it.

So that's the story. I came back to the people who have always supported me unconditionally and inspired me daily. I've talked to my daughter about you like you are a good friend that lives down the street. So, I'm reaching out to you for support and inspiration again. I have absolutely no doubt that I will find it.

Starting weight 222.8 (gulp). I can do this. Again.

Getting Back on Track

Boy, this getting back on track after a year of slacking is rough. I knew it would be but I did it many times before and I will do it again. I've been trying to catch up with old blogging friends and trying to get my blog set up the way that I want it in between my "real" work. I will post more later.

Day One - Welcome Back!

I'm starting over but yet I've been here before. About a year and a half ago I lost 60 pounds the hard right way with good ole diet and exercise. I got burned out and felt like I needed a break...so I stopped...and I gained 40 of those pounds back in a hurry. I'm embarrassed and ashamed but I'm proud to say that I never give up. So here I am. Again. It's a new year with a fresh start and a clean slate. I've made alot of friends and found great support here in the past. So I'm back. Let's get this thing rolling again.